There was a knock at the door, both men glared but didn't move. Garrick sighed and called, "Come in." Raven quietly entered and closed the door behind her. "Sire, everything is as you've specified. I've shown them both to their rooms with two guards posted outside of the Mistress Darras rooms." The minute the words left her mouth a low menacing growl filled the room. She gasped and stepped back, "Have I done something wrong, Sire?" Garrick shook his head for a moment then looked up at Raven. "My apologies Raven, you have done nothing wrong. It seems I severely dislike the idea of men anywhere near our female guest," he put his hand over his heart, "forgive me." She smiled and let out a deep breath, "There's nothing to forgive, I will take my leave now."
Darra looked toward the sky from the window, the sun was setting. Sharp colors burst from the horizon in bright reds and fuchsias, painting the sky in beauty as day was extinguished. She snuggled down in the chair and allowed her eyes to drift closed. She was so tired; she couldn't remember a time where she'd been this tired. Maybe just a nap, she'd only close her eyes for a few minutes. That few minutes turned to hours as she fell deeper into sleep. There was a voice in the darkness, soothing and masculine. "Sekhmet come to me, why do you stay silent," it said. She frowned and answered, "I am not Sekhmet, I am Darra." It was silent again like she was floating in a void. Then something brushed her arm, something hard yet warm. She realized that she could sense movement everywhere, it was all part of the same thing. Suddenly two massive serpentine eyes opened and stared down at her. The green glow of the eyes illuminated a large scaly snout that was mere inches away from her body. The eyes looked confused, "Darra? I know you, yes?"
Garrick had spent most of the day fighting the need to go check on his guest. He'd seen his son a few times during the day, and from what he'd seen the boy seemed stoic and overtly stubborn. It was time for the evening meal, and he couldn't keep himself from her any longer. As he approached her door the guards dropped their heads in respect. "Sire," they said in unison. "You are relieved to return to your normal stations," he said a little too strongly. They both slammed the fists over their chests and bowed slightly, "Yes, Sire." Garrick waited until they'd left the hallway before opening her door. He wasn't sure what he expected but it wasn't the calm scene before him. Darra was sunk down in a plushy chair she'd pushed to the window, deep asleep. As he came around the chair to face her, he glanced over at the bed and wondered why she'd decided not to sleep there. He watched her for a minute and realized it wasn't as peaceful a sleep as he'd first thought. Her nails had turned to long claws and were dug deep into the sides of the chair. His eyes shot to her face and although it was deceptively serene, he could sense the strain beneath it. He gently grasped her shoulder and shook, "Darra, wake up! Wake!"
First, she was staring into the eyes of something unknown, then she was looking up at the concerned face of the Wolf King. After taking a deep breath she smiled, "I'm sorry if I've disturbed anyone King Garrick. Is everything well?" He straightened and ran a hand through his hair, her smile was positively lethal. "You've disturbed no one, everything is well. Are you alright," he inquired? She looked down at herself and realized the reason her hands were cramping was because her claws had dug into the sides of the chair. She gasped and snatched her hands out of the chair, hopping up at the same time. She looked down at her hands trying to work out the cramps and trying to hide the blush she could feel staining her cheeks. "I apologize for the chair, I can fix it," she said softly. He smiled noticing that she was highly embarrassed. He cupped her cheek and lifted her head, "It's alright. It's time for the evening meal, would you accompany me?" She smiled and regained her composure. Pulling his hand away she said, "Yes of course." He grinned and held his arm out, "If I may?" She laughed and slid her arm through his, "It seems my great grandmother has greatly exaggerated a great many things." He chuckled and escorted her to the dining hall.
What in the gods' fierce hell was going on with her? Just a touch from this man and her heart acted as if it wanted to escape the confines of her ribcage. She'd never felt such things before, in all her long years she'd been restrained in both body and mind. But one touch from him and she suddenly wanted to know what it felt like to be skin to skin with him. She lectured herself, it would not due to grow an attachment to this man, this king. After all she wouldn't be here for too much longer. As they passed one of the many closed doors, she thought she felt something familiar. Just as quickly the feeling was gone.
